Barry Eustance and Adrian Stratta delve into the concept of Adaptive Leadership

The Just Great People Podcast - From The Sixsess Consultancy

Summary

In this conversation, Barry Eustance and Adrian Stratta delve into the concept of Adaptive Leadership, exploring its principles and applications in both military and commercial contexts.

They discuss the importance of culture in leadership, the need for engagement and empowerment of employees, and the significance of giving back work to those who face challenges.

Adrian outlines the seven principles of Adaptive Leadership, emphasising the need for a disciplined approach and the protection of voices from below.

The discussion highlights the critical role of leadership in navigating change and fostering a positive organisational culture.

Takeaways

• Adaptive Leadership is essential for effective organisational change.
• Culture is often more important than strategy in leadership.
• Empowerment at all levels leads to better decision-making.
• Engagement is crucial for employee satisfaction and performance.
• Pride, respect, and communication are foundational to a strong culture.
• Adaptive work requires a disciplined approach to be successful.
• Most problems can be solved at the grassroots level.
• Leaders must protect the voices of their teams.
• Time spent in reconnaissance is valuable for effective leadership.
• Adaptive Leadership principles can transform organisational dynamics.

Titles

• Navigating Change with Adaptive Leadership
• The Intersection of Military and Commercial Leadership

Sound Bites

• "Culture often trumps strategy."
• "Empowerment is so important."
• "Culture trumps it every time."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Adaptive Leadership

05:19 Principles of Adaptive Leadership

10:20 Creating a Holding Environment

15:47 Feedback and Continuous Improvement

20:57 Summary of Adaptive Leadership Principles

The Seven Principles for Leading Adaptive Work

1. Getting on the Balcony - to make sense of the system, including behaviour and impact
2. Identifying the Adaptive Challenge - the reason this work is challenging
3. Creating the Holding Environment - the relationship that holds and enables the work
4. Cooking the Conflict -the ide of conflict as necessary energy
5. Maintaining Disciplined Attention - to the adaptive work
6. Giving Back the Work - to the people with the problem
7. Protecting the Voices of the Leadership from Below - who are often overlooked

Citation

Heifetz, Ronald A., Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Harvard Business Press, 2009.

Useful Links

The Sixsess Consultancy’s About Page

https://sixsess.org/about-us/

Barry Eustance’s LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-eustance/

Adrian Stratta’s LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-stratta/

Harvard Kennedy Business School – Link the Adaptive Leadership Tools and Tactics Changing Your Organization and the World (Heifetz, Ronald A., Marty Linsky)

https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/practice-adaptive-leadership-tools-and-tactics-changing-your-organization-and-world

Keywords

Adaptive Leadership, Leadership Principles, Military Leadership, Organisational Culture, Empowerment, Change Management, Engagement, Leadership Development, Strategic Vision, Corporate Leadership